


Portal to the Soul

by Wownomore



Category: American History - Fandom, Folklore - Fandom, Hauntings - Fandom, Parapsycology, ghosts - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Gay Sex, Gen, M/M, Murder, Rape, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-11-23 08:59:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11399328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wownomore/pseuds/Wownomore
Summary: the true events of my friends and I during our College days





	1. Chapter 1

The year of 1987 was the year when everything had changed. Although it was my last year of college for me and my friends, we still had no idea what we were going to do with our lives.   
I had just started a new job, which allowed me to go out on the weekends with my friends, David, Anne, and Ruth, as well as Pat, who was a new addition. During our time at college, we spend a lot of time together. In those days, we were always together and it seemed that nothing would be able to separate us. Not one of us could imagine that the events of the summer would create such tensions between us that we might never recover from, even to this day.   
Unlike most of my friends, I was not from a wealthy family. I had to work every day to pay for college and this took a lot of my time. I had just started working at our local book store and I was finally in my element. After doing my homework I would read everything I could get my hands on. I enjoyed staying up at night reading good horror while hiding under my blankets. Back in those days I was very awkward with boys and so reading became my first love. Having access to everything, I started reading subjects that I would have never read before and some of the books that I was able to take home and read were very rare and expensive. But the advantage of working in a book store is that you could barrow books that you would not normally read and this would ultimately make you better at your job. When it all started I never thought that I would one day rely on having access to those rare books.   
In the beginning of the year, Anne had decided to make me her pet project. She met me for dinner one day after work and took me shopping. I have never had so much fun as I did that day. She took me to the clothing stores that she shopped at and we tried on clothes all day. She told me that although the baggy clothes thing was cute that I had a nice figure and should show it off more. It was the feminist eighties, after all. When the day was over, I had tried on virtually every style we could find at the mall. We even mixed and matched a few styles and when I got home I found that I had spent a week’s wages on clothes. I was very disappointed in myself.   
That evening I spent going through all of the clothes that I had bought in my moment of weakness and chose two outfits to keep. The rest I set aside to return that weekend. I spent the rest of the evening thinking of what excuse I would use when Anne would ask me about the outfits that I was returning. I was so embarrassed that I could not afford to buy nice clothes whenever I wanted to. All of my friends always had nice things and I always made excuses to why was always in old clothes. I could not tell them that I shopped at the good will store could I? That night I laid out a flannel shirt, which was my favorite, and a pair of legging and my new buckle boots and cried myself to sleep.   
Among my friends, I was closest to Anne. She was very tall for a woman with long blonde hair resembling some Nordic shield maiden. She had been dating John, a greaser from the Bronx whom liked to wear leather and motorcycle boots. He didn’t ride a bike but liked the style just the same. He was sweet and really adored Anne with an uncanny ability to make her feel so special that she would light up the room. During my second term I had met Ruth, a mutual friend of Anne’s, whom later introduced me to David. When I first met David, I thought he was a piece of work. He loved Doctor Who, a syndicated British sci-fi television show that was gaining popularity here in the states. He had a strange affinity for collecting action figures and seemed detached from anything meaningful in the real world.   
After a while, David started picking me up after work for coffee at the local diner where we began to share strange details about our lives. David worked at the mall where he too was paying for school. Like me, David’s parents were divorced and this left him to feel unsettled. Sitting in that diner, we talked for hours, sometimes into the early mornings but he was always a gentleman. He would always make sure I got home and never pressed me for more than the budding friendship that we had. I felt a strong connection with David from the start and we shared everything. Soon David was inviting me everywhere with him.   
One Saturday night I was working restocking shelves and basically keeping myself busy when I received a call from David.   
“I know it’s like last minute but are you doing anything after work,” David asked sounding as if he had been talking through a can.   
“Where are you calling me from,” I inquired.   
“Oh I’m at Ruth’s house. So are you free to go out?”   
“I have to work until eleven,” I said feeling disappointed that I was not included.   
“No that’s perfect,” he elated. “We are going downtown for the midnight show of Rocky Horror. I want you to come with us.”   
In that moment, I almost jumped out of my skin. I was thrilled that David was thinking about me, and had invited me along. As the night grew to an ending, I became more and more excited to see Dave. As the clock on the wall began to creep onto closing time, I became exhilarated. I finished my work as quickly as I could and grabbed my coat and headed outside. As I stood in the cold night air I shuffled from one foot to the next to keep warm but right at eleven, I saw the square headlights of David’s car. I squinted to look to see who was in the car with him as he pulled up to the curb, but could not see anyone. David jumped out of the car and gave me a hug. It was the longest hug I have ever gotten. He took my hand and opened the door for me. In the back seat were Anne, Ruth, and Pat. After exchanging pleasantries we were off. This was the beginning of a routine that would lead us to new and exciting adventures.   
Every Saturday, David would be waiting outside of the store and we would drive downtown to the Waverley Theater for the midnight feature. When I hear Science Fiction – Double Feature I knew that I was home. Tim Curry was so sexy, I thought and I wanted to be Susan Sarandon. Soon I learned the lines and we began dressing up like the characters in the movie. It was an exciting time for me for I had never before been a part of something. We began to spend every day together. If I had to work, David would pick me up after work and if I was free I would sometimes walk over to David’s or Ruth’s house and then we would all get together. It seemed like we were always doing something and we became the best of friends.  
That was how it all started with David and me. I started finding David waiting for me out side after I was finished working and we would go out to the Farrell’s Restaurant for ice cream. Often he would have Anne and his friend Ruth with him. At times we would all drive downtown together or just hang out at the mall. It seemed like we were always together and I was having the time of my life and I thought things could not get any better.


	2. my first boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the adventure begins

On March twelfth, Dave asked me if I would go with him to visit his dad for Thursday dinner. I had the night off from work so I was glad to. I had never met his dad but it seemed like a big deal to him. I decided to wear a skirt and as I approached the car where Dave what waiting he had a funny look in his eye, almost as if he had been seeing me for the very first time. I was flabbergasted when he held the door for me. On the drive over to visit his dad, Dave was very quiet and for the first time since I had met him, I was becoming nervous. I started to bit my nails the way I had done when I was younger but Dave reached over and took my hand and smiled at me.  
“Are you ok,” I asked him.  
“Yea, I just never took anyone to meet my dad before,” he replied.  
“Gee Dave, this sounds serious. I thought we were just going to dinner. What if he doesn’t like me?”  
Dave smiled and gave my hand a gentle squeeze and said, “He will like you.”  
Dave’s dad had just remarried and it was really important to him that I meet him. Dave was never available on Thursday nights and now I was learning way. When we arrived, we parked in front of a very nice house with a solid red door. I didn’t know what to expect but I trusted that David would guide me through it. When he opened the door we were greeted by an older version of Dave. He was charming as all ways. Dave introduced me as his girlfriend and in a moment of panic I look at him as he gestured for me to greet his dad. As if I had just woken up I grabbed his hand and shook it wildly. I felt so foolish I thought I would die but David didn’t seem to mind. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and told me that it would all be alright. That was how I got my first boyfriend. It was not very romantic but he made me feel special just the same.   
During dinner, I listened while Dave talked to his father about his future plans. To my surprise, it was a future with me in it. I was reeling and could not stop smiling. I had never known how David felt about me, and now I was listening to him tell someone else about his feelings toward me. I was so excited, that I could almost not contain myself. As I listened, a sense of melancholy began to gloom over me as I realized just how much about David that I did not know. He and his father spoke for hours about dreams and aspirations that I had never known about. I began to feel like all of those nights that we talked at the coffee shop had lead to nothing and that I didn’t really know David at all. When it was time to leave, David’s father gave me a hug and told me that he was happy that we were together. I thought it was a bit corny, but sweet non-the-less.  
By the time I was putting on my coat to leave, I was feeling like an outsider. Keeping my feelings to myself, I walked silently to the car, but before I could reach for the door latch, David came from behind me and opened it for me. Standing between me and the car, David took my hand and pressed his lips to mine. A flood of emotions sent electricity throughout my body as I almost went limp into his strong arms.  
“My dad really liked you in there,” he said softly to me while holding my hands.  
I wanted so much to say something witty at that moment but as I swooned my mouth betrayed me and remained silent in the face of his gaze, eager for some acknowledgement, as I leaned to get into the car. My ears started getting very hot as David got into the car on the other side. I knew I should say something but I just could not think. I felt that David was getting mad and I wondered if this would be our first fight. I reached over to touch his hand on the gearshift and look over with a smile. David sat strong and continued to drive. I was so overwhelmed by the events of the evening that I just sat back in my seat and waited for the fireworks.  
Closer to my house we came and still Dave did not say anything to me. I began to rehearse in my head all of the things that I would say to him. Hey I am sorry you took me by surprise. I am sorry if I upset you. Blah blah blah. I looked out of the window and saw that the moment of truth would be coming soon. After we turned a corner, there was only one block to go before reaching my door when the car had started to pull over. This was it. A rush of anxiety raced through me as the car came to a stop. I was prepared. I turned to David but before I could say anything David took my hand, stared deeply into me with his deep blue eyes and gave me that half smile that just made me melt.  
“Are you ok? I mean, I know I should have warned you and you're probably mad at me right now. It was wrong of me to throw you under the bus like that.” the words dripped off of his tongue like droplets of honey dripping from a leaf on a spring morning.  
I don’t know what came over me in that moment but I could not control myself. I leaned over, cradled David’s face in the palms of my hands and pressed my lips to his. When we kissed, I could feel the tension in his body begin to stir. His hands wrapped around my body and began to caress my back and shoulders. His tongue began to explore my mouth and mingle with my tongue. As I ran my fingers through his long red hair I could feel his hands begin to trace the shape of my buttocks. I had never before felt so much fear and excitement at the same time, but I knew that I wanted him then and there. My body began to ache in a way I had never felt it before as he pulled me toward him.  
I felt that I could not hold back any longer. I let my heels drop to the floor of the car as his great hands caressed my bottom, pulling me atop his lap, straddling his buldging manhood. He held me so tightly that I thought I might break. I could feel his hands caressing the back of my shirt as we kissed. Jolts of lightning began to shoot though my body, as I slowly slipped into ecstasy as David’s lips nibbled my neck.  
With his hands holding my swooning body, Dave stopped suddenly. His eyes were wild and excited beyond any moment I had ever seen him before. His body shifted under me as he began to stare in the distance. I cradled his face in my hands pressed my lips against his. His lips were hot and his face flushed. I thought for a moment that he may pass out from the excitement. With his hands on my midriff, he pushed me away as if to set me up in front of him.  
“I can’t do this, Gretch,” he said with a sadness on his face.  
“Are you kidding me? You were doing just fine,” I replied.  
“No, I just can’t do this right now. I’m sorry. This is a lot to take in and I just don’t know,” he said whatever that meant.  
Feeling very embarrassed I began to think the worst. I opened the door on to the dark street and stepped out of the car. I began to fix my dress when he stepped out of the car with a look of worry on his face.  
“Should I walk you home? Um, I know your right there but I…“ he said as that crooked smile that makes me so weak in the knees cracked across his face.  
“Yes that would be nice,” I interrupted.  
As we walked to my front door, I could not help thinking what I could have done wrong. Just what upset him? I was comforted in the fact that I would see him tomorrow at school, but I hoped that he would not talk to our friends before he talked to me. Standing in front of the door, he looked down at his shoes while he stammered his words. "Gretchen, I..." He started.  
I stood waiting to see if he would kiss me, but none would come. As I turned to open the door, he grabbed my arm and pressed his lips to mine once more. Just as abruptly as the kiss came, he turned on his heel and I was left to watch him walk to his car, his red hair blowing in the soft spring evening air. His hands jammed into his jeans pockets, broad shoulders slumped forward.


	3. A new Plan

The next day at school, nothing was said about what had happened the night before. David was found chatting on the lounge couch with Ruth. Anne had brought Pat with her today for some reason. Pat did not go to our school, but was pretty close to Anne. I approached, all the while expecting it to be some kind of intervention. When I approached, Ruth jumped up and wrapped her arm around me. She was considerably shorter then I and planted her face between my breasts. My face went red.  
“Umm are you ok? What’s up Ruth?” I asked with hesitance.  
“Nothing. It has been two weeks since I have seen you and I am glad to see my friend,” she said melodically.  
I looked to David, who was simply smiling at me and shaking his head. Sitting down in the empty seat next to David, he placed his arm around me. I began to pluck long black hairs from my clothing left behind by Ruth’s vigorous embrace. Preoccupied by the elephant in the room, I listened while Anne sat on the table in front of me. Her long blonde hair was down and framed her face perfectly as it cascaded over her shoulders. I had always been impressed how she could attain perfect beauty while wearing pink sweats and sneakers.   
“The Waverley closed,” Anne announced.  
“So what are we doing this weekend?” I asked innocently.  
“Pat said that there was a haunted house that we could go to." Anne chirped. "It sounds exciting.”   
Pat began to tell us about the strange occurrences that had been reported at the house. I wasn’t sure whether to believe it or now but I was game to try it. Pat was always good at coming up with things to do, being the spontaneous and lively child at heart.   
After talking about it for close to an hour, we had decided to go on Saturday afternoon. I asked David to make the arrangements while I went to class. As I picked up my backpack, he grabbed my arm and pulled me close to hug. While embracing me, he whispered in my ear that he wanted to talk later when we were alone. I could have stayed in his arms all day, but as I looked up at the clock on the wall above where we were sitting, I realized that I would soon be late for class. I touched his face with the palm of my hand and ran to get to class, all the while thinking about David and what happened between us in his car.  
When I had returned from class, David was nowhere to be found. Only Ruth remained.  
“Where’s David,” I inquired.  
“He had to take care of some things,” she replied, while her attention was on her finger knitting, which she did when she was bored or tired.  
“Well, did he say he was coming back?”  
“No. He said a bunch of other things, but not that he was coming back,” she said innocently.  
“Oh great!" I chimed. "What did he say?”  
She put her knitting down and looked at me with a blank stare, “He said he had to get his car inspected and that he had a doctor’s appointment. Why do you ask,” she inquired.  
“Nothing. I just thought we had plans. I guess I will take the bus home.” I added.  
“Oh wait.” Ruth jumped from her seat. “There was something I wanted to tell you.”  
I waited for a moment to hear what it was, but Ruth just looked at me with a blank stare.  
“..And you wanted to tell me what?”  
“Oh… Anne will be back in a minute to take me home.” Ruth added, with a bit of prompting.  
“And this is important because…” I prompted and waited for the answer.  
“Anne said she is going to the mall and wanted to know if you wanted to come and hang out.” Ruth said finally.  
After nodding in agreement, Ruth began happily jumping up and down with her arms around me as if she was holding me in place.  
“Where is she now?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t going to be another sphinx riddle.  
“She is with Pat in the cafeteria,” she said, and then as if someone had thrown a switch, she continued her knitting which was now tangled within her fingers.  
“Should I...?" I started, and then let out a long hard sigh. "Forget it. I will just go see what they are doing.” I said, leaving with my frustration.  
The cafeteria was just a short walk from the lounge and I was still reeling from the nonsensical relaying of information I had just been put through. Often there were petitions put up at the entrance for special events which I would miss because of my schedule but the partitions were still up today. From the looks of areas where students would queue up to get their food, the cafeteria must have just closed. a few students were still milling around. I imagined that they must still be doing whatever it was they had been doing when the area had been partitioned off. It was like a small maze among the tables and I made my way through, looking for Anne and Pat. Turning the last corner, I spotted Anne and Pat sitting together closely. The two of them together resembled comparators plotting something. I walked up behind Anne and surprised both of them.   
“What’s going on,” I asked.  
Anne just about jumped out of her seat when she saw me. “ Oh hey Gretchen. We were just talking about the weekend. Pat’s just finishing eating. Are you going with us to the mall?”  
“I thought so.”  
Pat got up and placed the tray and dishes by the trash can, then we left to collect Ruth from where she was sitting in the lounge.  
“Will David be meeting us at the mall?” I inquired to the walking encyclopedia that was Ruth.  
But Ruth did not answer. It was Anne who spoke up. “No, he seemed weirded out when he had heard the Waverley had closed. He doesn’t like the mall much anyway.”  
“Yea no more Rocky Horror. He will get over it.” I said a matter a factly.  
The group was pretty quiet as we walked to Anne’s car. There was an air of something that I just could not put my finger on. It was almost as if I was being watched but when I looked over my shoulder, there was nothing to see. I tried to let the feeling go as we reached the car. I wanted just to have a good time. Ruth had never gone out with us before and now we had Pat in the car heading to the mall. It was a nice warm sunny day, the first since winter had broken and it was nice to have everyone together.   
We sang songs that were playing on the radio as we drove. Ruth and I sat in the back seat and Pat was in the front seat. Not knowing if something was going on between them, but I kept seeing Pat’s hand crossing over to Anne’s hand. She waved off the unwanted attention, but Pat was persistent. I did not know Pat very well and I could not determine if there were any attractions between Pat and any person. But as I watched, there it was.   
His appearance made it impossible to determine, Pat was androgynous, but from what I could see, Pat definitely liked Anne. Knowing that Anne had a boyfriend, it was a little weird, but somehow she didn’t seem to mind.  
As we walked around the mall, Anne and I had a chance to talk away from the others. As pat and Ruth walked ahead of us, we began to share some conversation. Curiosity of what was going on with Pat was simmering inside of me, ready to boil over.   
Pat was a strange person with an androgynous appearance, and at first glance, we were not sure if Pat was male or female. Back then, such things did not matter in the scope of things like they do today. I was bursting out of my skin just to find out.  
“So, what’s up with Pat,” I asked with a bit of guile.  
“What do you mean,” Anne avoided the question and looked away.  
“Pat tried to hold your hand in the car. Aren’t you with John or did you guys break up,” I was dying to know.  
“Yea, Pat seems to like me, but I am still with John. Nothing is going to happen with him,” Anne replied very short. “We are going to have a talk later about it for sure.”  
“Well I have to know something. So Pat is a he?”  
“What?!” She stopped walking and stared at me blinking her eyes like what I had just asked did not register to her.  
“So Pat is a guy right?” I asked again.  
Anne continued to stare at me and slowly began to answer, “Pat is a guy. Well, he came on to me this morning and…” she stopped in mid sentence. “Yea I think he is a guy.”  
“It doesn’t much matter, I was just curious about it,” I saved the moment.  
She wasn’t very talkative after that, even though the conversation between us continued for the remaining hour that we were there. As we ate pizza at the mall sub shop, Anne continued to stare at Pat as if seeing a strange and unfamiliar creature for the first time and being unaware of what it might be. Anne remained quiet as she dropped first Ruth, and then me off at our houses. After exchanging a hug with Anne, Pat motioned to offer a hug to me. As he wrapped his arm around me, I almost felt his hand on my bottom. As I watched them drive away, I could not help thinking, huh Pat is a guy and did he just grab my butt? I was certain things were going to start to get interesting between them.  
That evening I was frustrated after not hearing from David, so I went to work to talk to Diane about ghosts and haunted houses. Diane was an older woman who seemed to have run the little bookstore forever. Her youthful appearance was colored by long grey streaks down the length of her hair. When she was not working, she ran some kind of spiritual group, which she kept inviting me to, but I was always busy. However, she was very knowledgeable about weird things and I thought she would be the right person to ask about the haunting at the house that we were planning to visit. After talking to her for a few moments about what we were planning, she carefully pulled what looked to be an ancient tome and handed it to me after blowing the dust off of it.  
“But this is a book on witchcraft,” I blurted out.  
“I have been waiting for the day that you would ask, read it. There is a section of spirits you will find interesting. Just follow the rules and nothing bad will happen to you or your friends,” she explained.  
I thanked her and took the book home to read. Once home, I began to consume the knowledge of the book, reading it with such virility that I found myself taking it everywhere I went. When I finally heard from David I was elbow deep in the section on spirits of the book.  
“Hey I am sorry that I missed you yesterday,” he said apologetically.  
“What have you been up to?”  
“Got my car fixed and I have a family reunion coming up,” he explained.  
“Oh ok. So I won’t see you then,” I asked feeling like everything was coming to an end.  
“No… err yes. I want you to go with me. It will be fun. Pat and Anne is going but I want you there with me. I want you to meet my family. We will be camping out and there is a pond for swimming,” he explained.  
“Sure I would love to. It sounds like it will be a lot of fun,” I replied feeling relieved.  
As I hung up the phone, I felt really happy for the first time in a long time. He must really like me, I thought to myself and it was the first time that someone had expressed such feelings for me. I went back to my reading fore I did not want to let him down this Saturday.


	4. A new adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> our first encounter at the house

It was finally Saturday morning. Having worked late the night before, I slept in but when I got up to go into the bathroom, I heard a familiar voice down stairs. Was David at my house? How long have I slept, I wondered. I went downstairs in my pajamas and first saw Ruth sitting on the couch. As I ventured further, I found David sitting at the dining room table talking to my mother.  
“What are you doing here?” I asked, with the horror of David seeing me with my hair jumbled and wearing my “Betty Boop” Pajamas.  
“You look cute. Did you forget that we were meeting everyone today,” he interrogated.  
“Can you give me a moment to shower and fix my face?”  
“Your face looks fine to me, but sure, take your time. Pat is making breakfast so don’t take too long.” he said.  
Stunned, I returned upstairs while I listened to David talk to my parents. It was a strange scene. It appeared that David was working his way into my family and this, in a strange way, made me feel really special. It wouldn’t be until later that I would find out that my mother did not really like David, but that is a different story.  
After I got dressed and put some makeup on, we were off to Pat’s house where he and Anne had scrambled eggs and bacon that was waiting for us.   
I had brought my camera to take pictures of the house, because I had never been in a mansion before and was interested in what might have survived the years of being abandoned. While we were enjoying breakfast I happened to notice that Anne was not wearing any shoes. I did not say anything, but I could not help smiling at the scene of Pat and Anne playing house for us.   
On the drive over, I asked many questions. I had never heard of this house being haunted. We were all excited about exploring this new playground, but toward the end of the meal, I had realized that no one had really been to this place before. We were all going to explore it together for the first time.  
Ruth and I went with David in his car and Pat rode with Anne in her car. Knowing that we were not supposed to be at the house, (the local police frequently patroled the area) we parked on the corner where strange cars would not be noticed.   
As we walked toward to house, I listened to the birds singing in the trees and realized that the area was really pleasant to be at. I had always driven through Middletowne, but this was the first time I had ever walked through it. There were no walkways, so we walked single file along the road toward the old stone wall that marked the property of the old mansion. As we approached the Tudor style stone and wood mansion, the air began to get cold. It was as if the elements were giving us a warning not to go near. Two stone pillars stood at the front driveway with broken light fixtures atop each them. The driveway was a simple gravel path leading up to the house. All the windows were boarded up and graffiti was painted on the wood siding. Ivy covered the house from roof to ground. There was debris and litter scattered about the grounds and we had to step over it to go into the house.  
Standing in the front yard of the once grand edifice, we stood in awe as we inspected every detail before we approached. I stood close to David as unseasonal cold began to give me chills down my spine, but no one else seemed to have been bothered by such chill. When David moved forward toward the house, I instinctually grabbed his hand hesitant of the foreboding feeling that I felt. It was as if someone was watching us, but I could not see any sign of anyone having been there. In that moment, I had an unnerving feeling that this was a joke, and at any moment someone would jump out and scare me.  
“This place gives me the creeps,” I said to David.  
Determined to continue on, he turned to me and said, “It will be fine. Let’s go have a look.”  
Anne seemed very timid about the house and clung to David on the other side of him. "I don't know..." she said.  
Pat was already ahead of us and inspecting the front porch. He looked over the walls and the doors. "We can go in here." He pointed to a window that we would later discover lead to the den or library. We really were not sure at that moment. Pat seemed excited. He was fearless. We were hesitant to follow his lead, but we were too curious not to follow.  
Great mystery hung in the air as we felt many eyes upon us. Slowly, carefully, we walked up the porch steps and over to the side entrance where the kitchen was. We quietly crept through the house, inspecting every nook and cranny. Dave kept turning to look behind us because he felt like someone was following me, but there was nobody there when I turned around. I felt uneasy about it.  
"Dave, what's up?" I asked while wrapping my arm around his and giving it a slight tug to snap him out of whatever had him entranced.  
"Oh, nothing. I just thought that someone was behind me. I could swear..."  
"It might be Ben." Pat said with some certainty. Pat always spoke as if he was certain even when he did not have inkling. “His spirit still roams around the house.”  
Ben was a powerful spirit. I felt his presence very strongly. He seemed to have an interest in David in particular, though. Maybe he reminded him of someone that he knew; maybe he was just being a pest. I shrugged it off for the moment.   
We all knew a little about the residents from a book written about the place. It was also a popular location in local folklore on Halloween. The house also had several articles written about it as well. I was fascinated to learn all that I could. It had peeked my interest.  
"Yeah, I guess so." I said. Dave could not lose the little boy look on his face as I grew concerned as to what was going through his head while all of this was unfolding.  
One by one, we climbed through the broken window that led into a small room with French doors leading to where the front door was. A large winding staircase led from the foyer to the upstairs. I had this strange feeling that something bad had happened there. David seemed to be in his element. Letting go of my hand, he began to walk around slowly, looking in every nook the house had to offer.  
“Are you going to take pictures of this place or what?” he asked in a tone that was almost a demand.  
I took my camera off of my shoulder and began to take pictures of every room. As we moved from room to room, David began giving me direction as if he had been looking for something. He was excited beyond what I have ever seen.   
As we explored, I looked toward Pat who brought us to this place and he was very quiet and seemed distracted. Anne was noticeable keeping a distance from Pat and seemed to be clinging to David. At every corner, I expected some prank, but none would come.  
As we made our way, exploring each of the thirty rooms in the house, I couldn’t help but to notice that I kept hearing people talking. When I finally asked, they all just laughed at me and moved on. I began to feel very alone as the others were shuffling around, laughing and playing while I continued to have the same foreboding feeling penetrate my being.   
Taking pictures of the hallways and the main stairs, I moved back down to the dining room, or what we were calling the dining room, and sat on the window ledge waiting for David to notice that I was missing and come down.  
Soon David, Anne, Pat and Ruth were making their way down the main stairs while talking about something or another. They all seemed very animated about something that had happened that I was unaware of.  
“Did you hear that?” David had almost yelled.  
“Hear what? I was here but I did not hear anything. What happened?” I inquired.  
“When we were up stairs in one of the rooms there was a yell and a bang on the side of the house. When we noticed you were missing, we thought it was you, but here you are, in the wrong part of the house,” David clamored.  
“You know it was probably just squirrels." I shrugged. "Anyway, I am not feeling all that great. If you guys are done... can we go now?” I asked.  
In addition to feeling like we were being watched, in combination with the cold bone chilling feeling I have had since we arrived at the house, I was also starting to have a sickening feeling in my stomach. I could not explain it, but when David asked about it, I simply told him that it was probably allergies. Having allergies of his own, I knew that he would understand that.   
Pat and Anne were having a great time at the abandoned house and wanted to return at some other time. Begrudgingly I agreed, but I defiantly wanted to read more about ghosts and haunted houses before we came back again...

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **   
18 August 1859  
Solomon ran, as fast as he could to the county line. It was about an hour before sunrise. The freight train had stopped at the Middletowne depot. He had carefully climbed out of the train so as not to be seen, and then he dashed away from the station and through the woods heading northeast. It was hard to navigate through the thick foliage. Gotta find the cemetery, He thought. They supposed to picks me up there. He tried to remember the directions in his head, since he ripped up the paper with the directions on it. Not that he could read it anyway. It was very important for none of the whites to know where he was going . He couldn't get that nice lady who ran the underground railroad to get caught and closed down and sent to jail. No siree. He came a long way and couldn't get caught now, not when he was so close to freedom.  
He stopped to catch his breath. He could read a little, so they gave him a compass to find his way to the place where his ride would meet him. There was a clearing through the trees. He saw some houses off to the left and a dirt road to his right. He followed along it in the cover of the trees. Must be close. He thought as he continued northwest along the road.  
He noticed an intersection and then he saw the cemetery up ahead. He carefully crossed the road, watching for any sign of people, then he walked through the trees on the other side of the road to the cemetery where he saw a carriage waiting for him.  
He breathed a sigh of relief. The driver was a negro like himself. He didn't think that there were any negroes up north other than runaways. This man looked neat and clean not ragged and dirty like a slave.  
Solomon slowly walked up to the carriage. "Hello sir. I's Solomon. I comes from north Carolina." Larry nodded. "I know. The missus is expecting you. Hop in."  
Solomon jumped up into the back of the carriage there was another slave with her baby in the back. They exchanged glances and smiled.  
She greeted Solomon warmly. "Hello my name is georgette. I comes all da way from Alamama." Larry turned. "That is called Alabama young missus." He corrected her. She blushed. "You is smart my learning ain't right."  
Solomon nodded. "That okay. Mine ain't nuthin either. They keeps us ignurant. Slaves don't know nuthin."  
Larry smiled. "Unless you got a nice white family that teaches you. I got lucky. My lady taught me. I come all the way from a place called England . I came there from another place called French Guiena. My lady's daddy in law taught me English. When my lady got married, they brought me and my wife here on a nice ship, not no dirty, flea infested, sweaty slave boat."  
They looked at Larry in awe. "Wow you is a lucky one." Solomon said with admiration.  
"You think we gonna get a nice missus like you Larry?" Georgette asked with a hopeful tone.  
Larry smiled at her. Don't you worry young miss. You're in good hands. my lady will take good care of you and your baby there."  
Her eyes lit up with joy. "Thanks you sir, so much."  
"Don't be thanking me, Thank my lady."  
Larry rolled the carriage forward toward the direction of the house. A short while later Margaret Edwards, or Maggie as she was called, watched out of the window of the 3rd floor nursery. The lively 9 year old watched the carriage roll up the long road toward the front driveway.  
She bounded down the stairs to the front door. "Momma! They are here!"  
Her mother walked from the front parlor. "Maggie, calm down this instant ." She said firmly. "A lady does not behave so."  
Maggie cast her gaze to the floor. "No, momma. I am sorry."  
Theresa smiled. "You shall be a young lady, and not a wild animal. Go to the kitchen and help Nora. Our guests shall need refreshments after their long journey."  
"Yes momma." Maggie walked past her mother through the parlor and the dining room and into the kitchen. Theresa followed her to the door, then walked out of the kitchen entrance to the carriage as Larry rolled into the driveway . "Welcome to Middletowne . I trust your journey was without any trouble and you are both well?"  
"Yessim."  
"Excellent. I am pleased to see you both." She turned to Georgette. "you and your baby made it a long way Georgette. My contacts in south Carolina said that you came all the way from Mobile."  
"Yessum. I's awful worried that me an my baby wouldn' makes it dis far, but you got a lotta people workin' fo you, I guess, cause I's had no trouble at all. There was even a nice man in Vergina dat gave me water to wash wid and food."  
Theresa smiled. "Yes dear. We take care of those in need of shelter and safety." She motioned for them to follow her up to the house. "Come, you must be starving after your long journey. There is food and drink waiting for you both in the kitchen." The two of them climbed out of the carriage and followed Theresa into the house by the kitchen entrance.  
The aroma of fried meat hit their noses as they approached the door. Bacon, ham, pancakes with homemade syrup and eggs permiated the morning air.  
Nora, the housekeeper and cook greeted them at the door. "Hello there younguns. Welcome."  
They smiled broadly at her as they came inside.  
"Nora, please see to it that these young people are tended to and let me know immediately if they need anything else ."  
"Yessim, I'll see to it mam." She sat them down at the small table in the kitchen and served them breakfast. Most likely the best and largest meal they had ever had in their whole life.


	5. The Lady of the House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "i see dead people."

26 August 1987  
The next week we returned for an encore adventure. The excitement of the house had gotten to us. Our curiosity was reeling with energy like nothing had before. We all became interested in the occult, and this place just called out to us to come and explore and study it.  
Dave was into past lives and spiritual contacts; I studied the craft and was very sensitive to spirits and energy. Our other friends were also very open to all of this, but I felt closer to all of this than any of the others. I would be returning here quite often. David parked his car across the street and we walked over to the house as was becoming our ritual. This time we had brought another friend with us. John was usually a trickster. A guy you wouldn't think to be afraid, but he was. He was picking up on something that frightened him out of his wits but he put on a good show of apathy and disbelief in front of the rest of us. Anne, his girlfriend, Held his hand more for him then for her.  
"It's okay John. I was scared last time. This place gives me the creeps, but it's kinda neat,” she assured him.  
"That sounds funny coming from miss scardy pants." Dave teased.  
John's eyes widened with fear and his hand was trembling in Anne’s. He slowly walked up the front path. We followed close behind.  
We did another walk through of the entire house. When we headed back to the front room, John was still standing on the main stair, staring up the stairs toward Dave and Ruth who were talking on the top landing. I was, as usual, waiting for them by the front door with my camera in hand trying to make it work. On the walk through we had gone through the back stair from the kitchen and I was taking pictures of a burn marking that bore no burns and we smelled a thick odor of horses when my camera just stopped working. Certain that my batteries were dead, I went down stairs where I had left my bag to get the fresh batteries. I never went back up because the new batteries here not working either. John had started to come down to join me with the others a few feet behind him.  
“Is everything ok,” he asked from the top of the stairs.  
“Yea, I don’t know what its problem is everything should be working. Are they coming down now?”  
Hearing the other on the top landing, he turned around to say something to Anne but the words never left his lips. Anne was talking to David with Ruth in tow as they began their decent of the stair and then just stopped in awe of the look of horror on John’s face. They turned and looked up the stair to see what John was looking at when from the top landing a ghostly figure of an old woman wearing a nightgown began a decent towards them. David, Ruth and Anne had moved against the wall to allow room for the shimmering figure to pass. As she made her was down the stair, John stood petrified and unable to move. The ghostly figure had passed right through John and continued down the stair and turned the corner to vanish into the room which we had called the study.  
John had quietly left the house that night without saying anything to any of us. Anne was concerned that he may have been in some sort of shock and let him stay as her house that night. I knew he was scared. I felt a chill as I walked toward the door. As David and Anne stepped slowly down the stairs an icy chilly gave them both a shutter. A cold, brisk air had drifted down the stair and passed me. The strange smell of horses followed but the front door was closed. It was a hot summer night. It couldn't possibly be a draft. Or could it?  
The next day I kept thinking about the specter that we had seen. Who was she? I phoned David to ask him what he thought. He seemed to be researching the house on his own. When I spoke to him he seemed to have all sorts of information about the house and its past residents. He seemed to be privy to information that I, with all of my researching skill and access to information, could not find.  
“I knew what is was,” he said with assurance. “It was Theresa Edwards, the lady of the house. She lived here during the Civil War years with her family. She was one of the many restless souls that haunted this place. She is trapped there.”  
After talking to David I went back to my books to cross reference a spirit that traps other spirits and ghosts with an odor. He seemed to be right, there was a type a spirit that would trap other spirits and it sometimes had substance to it, an odor if you will. These spirits are rare and the only documented case of one was over a hundred years ago. The theory is that in the last moments of their death, if the person had a great enough hate or desire for revenge that an angel or demon, it was hard to determine which from the old writings, would appear and broker a deal to trap and collect souls. They seemed to have strange abilities above and beyond that of normal ghosts which tended to repeat a continuous loop, repeating the moment in time which trapped them there in the first place.   
The next morning John awoke with a white streak in his hair which I am told never went away. That afternoon he left Anne’s house never saying a word to her about what had happened the night before and never spoke to any of us again.  
“I will see you tomorrow at school,” Anne said while leaning in for a kiss from him.  
“No I don’t think so. I have some stuff to work out before I talk to you again,” John said while turning away from Anne.  
John never called Anne after that day and never spoke of the house to anyone.   
******************************************************************************  
18 September 1865  
Theresa put her book down. She was too depressed to read. The cheerful story did nothing for her mood. She got up and walked out of the library to the stairs. She walked down the hall to the third floor stairs and climbed up to the landing in front of the window. She grabbed the rope that was hanging from the rafters up above her head. She placed it around he neck, tightening it. She watched the rain pouring down. How fitting, she thought. The weather is just as gloomy as my mood. Not much longer dearest. She whispered to herself. She threw the window open forcefully, making it crash into the wall behind it, breaking the glass. She stepped up onto the window ledge then leaped off...


	6. The Ouija speaks

2 September 1987  
Tonight was to be the most eventful to date. Everyone was there. The usual five, Myself, David, Pat, Anne and Ruth, plus about a dozen more had shown up for a impromptu party that had been traveling from place to place. We had discussed it and I had decided to bring David’s Ouija board with me that night. He seemed know about this house. David spoke of everything that I had felt going on around me. As we walked from room to room he could see it as if it was happening. He spoke as if he could see it there like it was happening right now and not a long time ago. The other group of people started talking to us, asking questions and warned us about the regular visits by the Middletown police.  
We went into the library which David believed to be one of the focal points in the house; the other being the nursery up on the third floor. I gathered everyone in a circle with myself and David in the middle with the Ouija board on the floor between us. David and I placed two fingers onto the planchette. It moved immediately after placing our fingers on it. It spelled out B E N.  
We looked at each other. I could almost see Ben's booted foot atop my fingers on the board, looming over me. Ben was by far the strongest spirit here. He seemed to rule over all the others like a mediator. His pull was very strong. As we learned more about the house David felt some kind of connection to him for some reason. A connection through past life, maybe. That would explain his attraction to me and why he followed us around all the time like a stalker or an obsessive boyfriend. I guessed that I would find out soon enough.  
Ben scared everyone in the room or at least did not approve of what we were doing.  
Theresa was the next one to speak. She spelled "F I R E."  
"WHAT?" I replied.  
"F I R E." she repeated.  
I looked around the room. Maybe she was warning us, but then I remembered that there was a fire here at the house about one hundred and thirty years ago. She was talking about something that happened in her time, not ours. To her, it was still 1865, the year she died.  
She continued:  
"W I N D O W", then "D I N I N G R O O M."  
She wanted us to exit through the dining room window. We all got up to walk out of the library, but something prevented us from passing through the doorway, blocking our way out. I stood there, face stern, my lips in a scowl. Anne put a hand on David’s shoulder.  
"Dave, that's Ben, isn't it,” she asked, her voice quivering.  
I was scared to death, but I stood my ground. I looked it square in the eye and raised my hands which felt as if they were burning.  
"Let us pass."  
It was very strong. My body tingled with energy. He was a powerful spirit. He held me in place for a moment, and the rest of us in the house. We could hear from the outer rooms that something was happening to the partiers we well. Screaming emanated from the rooms that we could not see. The spirit did not move and then we all heard his voice.  
"This is my house," he said firmly.  
"No Ben, this is Theresa's house," Dave said from behind me and pushed his way past me. I could feel Ben following him as I walked through the parlor to the dining room, where we would exit through the window, or I should say the window frame, since there were no more windows in the house. They had all been smashed from vandals. I carefully climbed through the window with the rest of the group following me out. As I got outside, I heard a loud crash, like glass breaking. One of the others in the group turned. "What the hell was that?"  
"I don't know." I said.  
A few of the people from the other group came running around the side of the house from the front yard.  
"Did you guys hear that?"  
"Yeah, how could we miss it?"  
"What was it? Did you see anything?"  
"Nah, but it sounded like a window being broken." I looked at my watch. 11:45. It was about the time that Theresa killed herself. She broke a window when she jumped out of the window to hang herself. It didn't make sense, but it was the only thing I could think of. There was no glass anywhere the Windows were boarded up and there wasn't anyone else around but the large group of us gathered at the house. This was too creepy. The past and the present were somehow coming together. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be part of it. Not at the moment, anyway.  
"Let's get out of here guys." David said, turning to walk back toward the front of the house.  
"See you guys later."  
We waved to the others and headed back to David’s car.


	7. Through the lens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cameras and visions and seeing the past

4 September 1987  
On Friday after school, David and I went over to the house to investigate. This time we decided to go during the day. We had both brought our cameras to get spirit photography. David had a class in photography and had access to the dark room. I put an infra red filter on my Nikon camera lens. Infra red will pick up on any spiritual presence in any location. Only problem with taking spirit photography is you cannot use a flash. It washes them out. So we needed to take daytime shots.  
David and I walked around the house to study it in the daylight. Seeing what you're doing is a good thing. No stumbling around in the dark. We walked up the front stairs. I felt Ben's presence again. Even during the daytime he was strong. I walked to the left of the entrance to the living room. The feeling I got was astonishing. David’s retro-cognition was kicking in. As we looked around the room, he described it, not in its present state, but as it was when Theresa and her family lived there...  
**************************************************************************  
10 October 1860  
"Maggie, I told you to get ready for bed. It is late." Theresa addressed her daughter as she played the grand piano in the living room.  
Maggie frowned. "Mother, I wish to practice for tomorrow's recital. Mrs Johnsonsen wishes me to do a really good job."  
"I am sure you shall dearest. You play Beethoven beautifully, but now it's time for bed. You know we need to get up early for the country club."  
"May I at least finish the piece?"  
"No. Now off to bed with you." Theresa glanced at Nora. Her cook and head of house.  
"You heard your mama child, come." She took Maggie by the hand and led her up to the nursery on the third floor.  
******************************************************************************  
I was amazed at the clarity that David saw. He seemed to see everything. My psychic readings weren't usually this clear. He continued to explain his visions.  
“...There was a grand piano to the right of the entrance. To the left, there was a serving tray table by the large bay window, with cushions on the window sill. Two upholstered chairs faced the window. Directly in front of the doorway, was a fireplace with a mantle. Family portraits sat in a row on the mantle. To the right of the fireplace were French doors that led to the dining room.” David said excitedly.  
I stopped in front of the fireplace and ran my hand over the stone mantle. It was covered in soot. The place was a mess. Dirt and debris was everywhere. No Windows were left in the whole place, but David was seeing them as if they were still there and gleaming with sunlight, even though it was overcast. I walked into the next room, watching my step as we continued on through the house.  
“The dining room had a large oblong dining table with eight Chippendale chairs around it. I swear two corner cabinets to the right of the French doors as you entered the room,” David continued.  
The window that Theresa had mentioned on the Ouija board was directly across from the French doors on the other side of the room.  
“To the left of the doors stood a dumb waiter.” he said, But there was no dumb waiter.  
“Ah ha,” I shouted, pointing.  
David had walked over to the blank wall and studied it for a moment. He then began to pick away at the wall paper that had been in the style of something in the fifties. I asked what he was doing but he ignored me and continued. He peeled away a large section of the wallpaper to reveal the bare wall underneath. Soon as he removed more wall covering, a small door appeared. I was speechless as David, showing no fear of what might be lurking in the walls of the house, flung open the doors and presented to me a dumbwaiter. His crooked smile appeared ear to ear as if he needed to prove something more to himself then to me.  
We then entered a short hallway went between the dining room and the kitchen where David continued to describe the house.  
“...I saw a cast iron wood burning stove to the left of the pantry which was in the back of the kitchen. Shelves were built into the back wall.”  
He walked through the pantry to the back stairs sure of where he was going. I followed close behind as his excitement mounted. Midway across the room, I felt something. It was hateful and it was near. I began to fear that we may be trapped in the house once more and I needed to tell David, who was walking around the Kitchen like a new bride.   
Focusing my power, I began speaking in low, soft tones.   
When David heard me, he stopped immediately, and turned to me concerned.   
I saw something on the stairs and my body began to shake as I tapped into my inner strength to defend myself from the dark force.   
David met my gaze to see what I was staring at, but he saw nothing.  
"Leave me alone!" I screamed.  
David leaped in front of me, placing himself between it and my heated gaze as if to shield me from something he did not see. He knew immediately who that was. Ben was back, but this time he wasn't tormenting us, he was bullying me. From behind, I felt a cold spot move into my spine. It was not a cold spot like before. it felt like something else, and then in that moment, I heard my voice speak without my consent.  
"What are you doing here Benjamin,” my voice spoke. “What do you want?" my voice spoke again.  
It was Maggie, and she was using my body like a doll. As I witnessed the exchange, I found that I was unable to do anything to stop it.   
Maggie was a quiet spirit. This was our first encounter with her. I know why she was so afraid of Ben. He was the one who killed her. She was raped and strangled in front of the house by the big old Oak tree, and as I watched something out of the past, I felt his hands on my body. I heard her unanswered screams, and the uncontrollable fear in her. Seeing what was happening to me by Ben, unaware that Maggie was in my body, David spoke up.  
"We don't want any trouble Ben. Leave her be."  
He either ignored him, or didn't hear.  
"No Ben! Please don't!" Maggie cried as I began to feel his grip tightening around my throat.  
They were acting out the last moments of their lives, the night she was murdered, or so I gathered. I struggled to make him release his grip over me I was a third-party observer in my own body, as if I was watching something from the outside. I couldn't participate in the event, for I'm not part of their world. They're stuck in time. To them, the civil war is still going on. Though they no longer have physical bodies any longer, their souls linger on long after death. They repeat the last moments of their death, Doomed to repeat it until the moment Maggie would release me.  
There are three reasons why a spirit is trapped :  
1\. The soul has unfinished business (he/she was cut off in the middle of life, or it was not their time to die)  
2\. A murder which Ben has committed.  
3\. A secret was held, or taken to the grave.  
4\. Or in this case a hate has trapped them.  
With David’s uncanny knowledge of the past events, I was able to confirm two of these instances and a possible third so far with these souls.  
“Are you alright,” David asked while holding my hand.  
“They went upstairs.”  
“Should we leave, I mean you don’t look right.” And he was correct, My skin was pale and black rings appeared around my eyes for the time that Maggie was using my body. We should have left at the moment, but I had to capture them on film.  
We continued up the stairs. There was a wall at the top. I turned around and looked down the stairs. A small ledge wound around the staircase. There was barely enough room to walk around to the two bedrooms to the left of the stairs. I got out my camera and snapped a picture of the stairway. I began to feel myself again and began to snap pictures of where I felt the presence lurking. David followed and took his hand and placed it against me cheek. He said I was worm again and joined me in taking pictures.  
We carefully walking around to the first bedroom, we proceeded into the next bedroom. It was in the rear corner of the house. It we obviously the servants quarters. There was a window facing front and one to the right as you entered the room. The frames were intact, but there was no glass in them. I was saddened by the vandalism to what was once a beautiful home. People don't have any respect for anything that doesn't belong to them, especially kids. We already found how popular this place was for a weekend hang out. I looked through both Windows to see the view outside.  
We continued into the next bedroom. They both had the old type of closets. Shallow, with shelves built into the walls. This is why wardrobes were used back then, I figured. I closely inspected what they called a closet. It was obviously not designed for anything other than linens.  
This room was slightly bigger than the other bedroom, but not by much. It had a front facing window. To the left behind us was a bathroom. You had to walk through it to get to the rest of the house. I was thinking that the architect was weird or insane. Holding my nose, we passed through the bathroom to the next bedroom. The house seemed to go on forever.  
"Geez...I thought my bathroom smelled bad," David said while wrinkling his nose.  
We both giggled and entered the bedroom. This was the largest of the three. I had a feeling that it had belonged to Ben. It had a bad feeling about it. It had a window facing the front and one to the rear. I hurried through the room to the hallway.  
"That room gives me the chills." David said as he quickly followed me out of the room.  
***************************************************************************  
5 April 1859  
We buried Doug today. It was a day of rejoicing for all of us, but we put on the charade around our friends and neighbors.  
It as a small funeral, having only some neighbors from down the road and some of Doug's friends from the country club.  
He was placed in a small cemetery by our church, our first family plot in the Americas.  
I stared at his headstone for hours, pretending that I was in grief. It seemed to work. Part of me was sad to see him go. We were together for twenty one years. The first part of which was beautiful, however, after three miscarriages and the birth of our daughter Maggie, he was displeased. Doug had wanted another son badly.  
Girl children are no good. He would say to me. They are such a burden, too much to worry about. At least until you can marry them off and they give you a grandson to carry on the family line it got worse after that.  
When my son Doug Jr. died, my husband blamed me for not giving him another son. He was even more upset because not only was our son dead but he was also a homosexual.  
Doug and Ben started spending a lot of time together since our son's death. Perhaps in some way Doug saw Ben as a replacement for my son, but after finding out that Doug Jr was a homosexual, Doug distanced himself from Ben. He spent his time alone up until his death.  
I am concerned for Maggie. She is maturing quickly and I have noticed Ben admiring her more lately. Now that my husband is gone, I am fearful that Ben will be a force to be reckoned with. Doug had him under control, and now that the master is gone, the servant will run amok. I'm considering releasing him from my employ, but am unsure what he shall do. He is a forceful and strong man and may be dangerous...  
Theresa put her journal down, and sat quietly reflecting the past few days. She pondered the death of her husband and wondered if she should feel guilty for what she had done. A good Christian would. The church would not condone what I have done, but I don't feel guilty for putting him to rest and ending my abuse. It was self defense, she thought. Protection for myself and Maggie who was most abused of all. Neglect was worse because it would leave a lifelong impact on her, unlike physical wounds which would heal.  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a shuffling sound outside her door.  
Ben appeared in the doorway, holding a bottle in his hand. He was drunk and shuffled toward her.  
"What are you doing here Benjamin?" She knew he was there to cause trouble. She sighed. He was always trouble when he drank, which was often and now that her husband was gone, she figured that he would do whatever he wanted, since there was nobody there to stop him.  
"Ben." He corrected her. "My name is Ben."  
"Yes, all right. What do you want?" Theresa tried to stay calm and not show her fear of him.  
"I came to thank you for saving me the trouble of eliminating my problem."  
"Problem? What problem?"  
"Your husband was my problem, and I'm glad that he's gone. No more beatings, no more pain..."  
"I am sorry for that. He has been ill with all of us, and has scarred us all." She said sadly.  
"Agreed." Ben rubbed his right leg gingerly with his right hand. "This leg shall never heal, you know."  
She sighed. "I know." She had been aware of the beatings. It was hard not to. Ben's screams could be heard from the coach house Theresa felt sorry for him, but was also afraid. Ben was strong and very violent with a temper to match.  
She considered relieving Ben of his duties, but we afraid to for fear that he would hurt her if she did so.  
Ben had been good and loyal in the beginning, but like Doug, started to become unpleasant over time. Ben had good reason to be bitter. He was hurting inside and out, she was sure.  
She tried to be sympathetic. "Is there anything that I can do?"  
Ben took another swig from his bottle and licked his lips. "Perhaps there is."  
Theresa anticipated what he was going to say. He had that lustful look in his eye, like a wild animal viewing it's prey.  
"You know....for an older woman, you sure are fine. I have never told you that. Now that your husband, my keeper is no longer around to keep me in line, things will change around here."  
She was afraid of that. What could he do, she thought.  
He continued. "In fact... I guarantee it . I shall continue where the master left off. I shall move into his room to keep an eye on things."  
Of that, she had no doubt. She gulped. The thought of having him not only in the house, but right across the hall scared her. Trembling, she reluctantly listened as he continued. That bastard, she thought.  
He went over her body with his eyes. She was wearing a white nightgown with a laced front. Her large breasts showed through the robe she wore over the gown.  
For a forty year old woman, she was in excellent shape. Her life was a hard one. She exercised regularly riding her horse, going to the hunt at the Philadelphia Country Club, and sometimes, more often than most, insisted on walking rather than riding to neighbors houses which were more than a mile or more away.  
Ben continued to stare at her with his piercing grey eyes.  
"I see where Maggie gets her figure from."  
Theresa was appalled. "She is only nine years old!" She gasped.  
Ben grimaced. "Mmmhmm, and she is growing in all the right places." He gazed at Theresa's bosom.  
"You shall not touch her!"  
"Oh, but I shall, and often. Especially when she fully matures, which, I expect, shall be soon."  
It's true, Theresa thought. Maggie was growing breasts already, though she wasn't getting much taller.  
Ben placed the bottle of Jack Daniels on the dressing table. "Now, I can make this easy on you, or I can make it very unbearable." He paused, then reached over to touch her face. "Your choice."  
She was trembling now. His touch was warm and gentle, surprisingly.  
"I can be very gentle when given the chance. However, if I am angered and do not get what I wish..."  
"I understand." She said in a shaky voice. "What do you want me to do?"  
Ben put both hands on her shoulders, squeezing them. "I would like you to relax. I will not enjoy myself if you do not cooperate." He slid her robe off of her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. He untied the strings on her nightgown, loosening it so that it would slide off of her shoulders. The law of gravity did the rest. It fell to the floor of its own accord.  
Standing before him naked, she felt violated and vulnerable, but she went along with it for fear that he would hurt her if she didn't.  
Ben unbuttoned his shirt, removed it, and then unbuttoned his breeches, sliding them off of his slender hips, letting them fall to the floor.  
Her jaw dropped with them. She studied his well toned, muscular body, his chestnut skin. He was a mature man of thirty-two and a fine specimen, she noticed. He was very appealing physically. He was fully erect now, being excited from her staring as his naked body.  
He smiled. "I want you to touch me."  
Shaking, she stared into those grey eyes. "What?"  
He repeated. "I want you to touch me, then I want you to take me in."  
She swallowed. Obeying, she reached out and grabbed his muscle, stroking it. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. Ben had her scared to death. She couldn't remember being scared of anything or anyone in her life. She was headstrong and confident, but now she felt like a helpless child.  
Ben was putting her in a state of panic. She couldn't hide it . Ben noted it. He wrapped his arms around her, speaking to her gently. "You are not relaxing. Please do not make me force you ." He stroked her back. "There. Is that so bad?"  
She felt his strong embrace and warm body. "Nno... "She stammered.  
He continued to stroke her gently. "Now, will you let me love you, or shall I have to force myself upon you?" He slowly pushed away from her, looking into her eyes.  
"Llove..."She stammered softly, a tear rolling down her cheek.  
He wiped it away with his left index finger, and then lifted her chin with his hand. He bent his 6'1" frame to meet her lips. He kissed her softly and determined, holding her up and cradling her in her strong embrace.  
She gave into him, feeling his strong, warm embrace, the feel of his naked body next to hers. She didn't, couldn't believe that he was capable of love. Passion, yes, but could he be anything other than forceful and possessive? Passionate and determined? She wondered as he backed her into the bed behind her.  
She was warm and wet now. Could she possibly be feeling something for a man who clearly took what he wanted, only to suit his own wants and desires? Was he doing this to be in control, or did he actually desire her, a forty year old woman?  
Theresa thought perhaps she may never know She knew only that Ben would take any means necessary to gain control of the household and of her. Even if it meant to totally take possession of not only her body, but also her soul. She thought this as she reluctantly and completely out of fear, took him in...  
***************************************************************************  
We came out of the front bedroom and came back out into the hall. David looked to the left, up the staircase. “Let's go upstairs. I wanna see the nursery,” David said.  
I nodded and followed. We climbed the steep stairs. There was a window at the top.  
"That's the window Theresa jumped out of, I think." he said, looking at it.  
There was a narrow walkway around the stairway, just like the pantry stairs. There was a room to the right and one straight ahead. The brick wall to the left had a hole in it. I poked her head through the hole and discovered a hidden room.  
"Let me see," David said.  
I moved aside and David poked his head through. It was dark in the room, but light shone through the boarded up windows just enough to notice that there was a wall to the right with a similar hole in it. Probably more vandalism, I thought. It seemed that this room was divided into two. I wondered why this room had been sealed off and why it was divided into two. The hole wasn't big enough to see into the sealed off part of the room. I shrugged my shoulders. This house had many secrets, I was sure. Plenty of mysteries to be solved...  
******************************************************************************  
14 December 1856   
Theresa sat in the parlor, sunning herself. Nora entered the room with a tray and placed it on the wheeled cart by the bay window where Theresa was sitting.  
I just made some tea for you missus.  
Theresa reached for the cup on the tray. Nora poured tea into the cup from the pot.  
"Thank you Nora."  
Nora paused for a moment before turning to leave the room. She glanced at Theresa. She noted Nora's hesitation. "What is it? You're not usually this quiet." Nora was a chatterbox, usually.  
"I didn't wanna bother you missus, I was just concerned, is all."  
Theresa put the cup down. "Tell me."  
Nora twisted her apron in her strong , hands. "I...well.. You see, missus, young master Doug started taking his meals in his room since he stared studyin ' his doctoring an all. When he's home, that is... "She paused.  
"Go on Nora." Theresa urged her to continue her story .  
"Well, young master Doug took to his bed early last night. He asked me to bring him some sweets before bed, which is a regular thing for him, but he always sends the tray with the dishes down on the dumb waiter after he's finished. I went to fetch it this mornin' when I got his breakfast, but the dumb waiter was empty. I went up to his room to fetch the tray, but there was no answer when I knocked. He always keeps his door locked, since he never likes to be disturbed with his studyin' and all."  
Theresa nodded. "I know."  
"I'm rightful worried missus. Ain’t seen him all day. I hope he isn't ill."  
Theresa rose from her seat. "Let us see what we can find out, shall we?"  
They both walked upstairs. Theresa checked the other bedrooms to see if anyone else was in the house.  
Doug's room across the hall was empty, as were the two back bedrooms. Theresa sighed and walked back through the rooms to the hallway and up the stairs to the 3rd floor.  
She knocked on her son's door. "Douglas dear, are you there?" Pause. She tried again. "Doug, please open this door."  
Still no answer. She knocked once more. "Douglas Robert Edwards, open this door now!!!"  
She turned to Nora. "Has anyone seen him since last night?"  
"Don't know missus. I will go ask Ben and Larry."  
"You do that. I shall speak with Maggie."  
"Miss Maggie is asleep missus."  
"Then I shall wake her." Theresa walked over to the nursery, while Nora went downstairs to look for Ben and Larry.  
Theresa opened the door to her daughter's room.  
Maggie was asleep on her four poster bed. Theresa shook her gently. "Maggie dearest, please wake up." She sat on the bed.  
The child moaned, rubbing her eyes. "Mamma?"  
"Dearest,have you seen your brother?"  
Maggie sat up, yawning. "Not today."  
"When did you see him last?"  
"I SAW him yesterday and I HEARD him last night."  
Theresa was curious. "Heard what?"  
Maggie continued in a sleepy voice. "He was awake for a long time talking to Ben. They kept me awake."  
Theresa probed further. "Ben was in your brother's room?"  
"Yes."  
"What did he say? What happened?"  
"He yelled at D.R. Told him he was a queer. Mamma, what is a queer?"  
"I shall explain it when you are older dearest."  
"D.R. told Ben to leave him alone, and Ben said no way. He said that he would teach D.R. to be a real man. What is a real man? Is it the same as a man? Is daddy a real man?"  
"Yes dearest. Continue, please."  
"Ben made a lot of noise then and yelled at D.R. some more, calling his a faggot. What is that? Is it the same as a queer?"  
"Yes." Theresa said simply.  
"Then Ben was making banging noises and I heard D.R. crying. Ben called him a sissy and a little girl. Why would he call D.R. that? He is a grown boy."  
"He is a man dearest."  
"Daddy is a man. D.R. is so much younger than daddy, does that still make him a man?"  
"Yes."  
"D.R. cried for a long time, and then I heard a loud bang. D.R. was quiet after that. I think Ben left then, because I didn't hear him yelling anymore."  
Larry appeared at the door with Ben close behind him.  
Ben shot Maggie a vengeful look, having overheard the conversation on the way up the staircase.  
Maggie shrank behind her mother.  
"I heard you were looking for young master Doug, mahm'." Ben addressed Theresa.  
Theresa rose from the bed. "Yes. I cannot get an answer from my son. I want you and Larry to break down the door."  
"Yessim'." Larry said obediently without hesitation,the two strong men rammed the wooden door to Doug jr's room.  
Theresa stood behind them, watching in awe. When the door crashed open, her eyes were wide, her breathing heavy.  
The men cleared the broken pieces to the door, moving them out of the way so that they could step through.  
Theresa moved slowly forward, gazing before her in disbelief. Her son was sprawled across the bed, covered in blood, his hand clutching a pistol.  
Ben watched her as she entered the room, noting her expression. "He did it to himself mahm'. I saw it with my own eyes."  
Her expression turned to fury. "You were with him, were you? Maggie said she heard you quarreling. What was it about?"  
Maggie tried to peer into the room, but the adults were standing in front of her, blocking her way, so she couldn't see the gruesome sight.  
"I told you mamma. Ben said ..."  
"I know dearest. Let him tell it."  
Ben shot Maggie another angry look. "Young master Doug was upset and we argued. You see mahm' , we never did see eye to eye. We argued about protocol and my place here. It went on for quite some time, then he became upset and started to cry. He said he was depressed and didn't wish to live with it any longer. He said he could not hold any more secrets, then finally, he shot himself."  
Larry and Theresa stared in disbelief, while Maggie looked at the floor, her face drawn and sad. "D.R. is dead, isn't he?"  
Theresa nodded, and then embraced Maggie. "Yes dearest. Your brother has gone to heaven." She turned toward Ben. "He has never spoken to me of his unhappiness." She shook her head.  
Larry looked puzzled. "What secrets was he talkin' about?"  
Ben looked him square in the eye. "Young master was queer."  
Theresa shook her head in disbelief. Ben stared at her and she flinched. His gaze was strong and direct.  
"I speak the truth mahm'. Young master Doug confided in me one night, and we have been at odds ever since."  
"It's against God. Says so in the bible. To fornicate with another man is the devil's work."  
Theresa shot him a glance. "That is enough Larry! I know the Lord's words." She fumed.  
Maggie whispered. "Fornication, mamma?"  
"Later dearest."  
Larry cast his gaze to his boots." I'm rightful sorry missus. I meant no disrespect. I was just saying..."  
Theresa put a hand on his shoulder. "I know." She paused for a moment, all eyes on her as she pondered the events that just occurred. She sighed. "No one must know of this incident. My husband will be furious and ashamed at the thought that our son not only took his own life, but we also akin to another man for companionship. Our neighbors would be embarrassed to be seen with us and we would lose all hope for a good place in society." She hung her head in despair.  
"What are we gonna do then missus?" Larry asked, concerned.  
"We need to see to this matter immediately, before questions are asked. Thank the Lord my husband is not here to see this..."  
She looked at Larry. "Are there any bricks or stones in the carriage house?"  
Larry nodded. "What you be needing them for missus?"  
"We are going to seal this room."  
Nora came up behind them. "Is the young master all right?"She peered into the room and gasped as she sweet the unthinkable.  
"Oh sweet Lord." She crossed herself.  
"So we ain't gonna give him a proper burial?" Larry said sadly.  
Theresa shook her head, figiting. "There is no other way... "She looked toward the lifeless body lying on the bed. "I wish there was." A tear rolled down her cheek as stared at her son. "My dearest son, I am so sorry for what we must do." She looked at the others sadly. "You all must forget what you saw here today. We will clean him and seal this room forever. No one must know what has happened here. It is now a family secret that I demand you all take to your graves. You must not speak of this to ANYONE. If anyone asks after him, you will say that he is on holiday or studying abroad. Do you understand?"  
They all nodded.  
"Good, then let us begin."  
The men went out to gather the materials to seal the room while Nora grabbed fresh linens from the closet while Theresa cleaned the body. Nora took the bloody clothes and linens from Theresa and took them downstairs to be washed.  
Theresa redressed Doug and covered him with the fresh linen sheet.  
The men returned with the bricks and mortar. Theresa gathered them inside the room next to the bed. Maggie stood quietly by her mother. Her face red and wet with tears.  
Theresa sighed. "This is a terrible tragedy. " She cried. "Why has this happened? Dear Lord, you must have wanted him badly to have taken him so young..." She tried to contain herself. "My dearest son. You just barely started to live on this earth. Perhaps you shall be happier with God than with us..." She trailed off.  
Maggie looked up at her. So is D.R. in heaven now mamma?"  
Theresa sniffles. "I hope so dearest."  
Nora wept softly next to her.  
Larry stood there, hands on hips. "I'll go get more bricks from the wagon Ben."  
Ben nodded. "I'll get started then mahm'."  
"First let us push this bed up against the far wall, and then build the wall in front of it, sealing it in."  
"Makin' our own crypt for him?"  
"More or less." Theresa said, sighing.  
Larry nodded. "Yes missus, if that is what you feel is best for him."  
"It is best for us all." Theresa said sadly.  
Larry and Ben shoved the bed up against the far wall of the room, then Ben gathered the bricks and mortar to start building the wall, while Larry went downstairs to collect more bricks.  
Theresa led Nora and Maggie downstairs .  
As they all disappeared from view, a devilish grin crossed Ben's lips. One out of the way, now to take care of the other, he thought.  
Little did he know that the matter was already being taken care of...  
Theresa's mind raced. What am I to tell Doug of this? He shall be furious. Poor Maggie. She will feel the pain of this the most. She loves her brother dearly. Who shall she turn to now?  
***************************************************************************  
The nursery was on the other side of the stairs, to the right of the room We just peeked into. At least, we figured that it was the nursery. There was a window to the left, facing the rear of the house and a window to the right, facing the front yard. A fireplace stood in the center of the side wall between the windows. I looked out the front window.  
"Let's go outside. I want to see the tree," Dave insisted.  
We walked downstairs and back outside. The big oak tree was old. It had probably been there since the house was built, or even before that. Its branches stretched out over the street in front of the house and over the house itself. We took out our condensation. Gretchen got a shot of the tree. I watched as David fiddling with his camera.  
"Hey, what's up Dave?"  
"My camera won't work."  
"Maybe the spirits are affecting it."  
"Maybe, but yours works fine."  
I stared at the tree while I handed my Camera over to David. "So that's the tree where they hung Ben."  
"Yeah. They lynched him here after they found Maggie's body by the creek."  
Having felt him I shuddered from the thought. "Man, that was so sick. Ben was a real sadistic bastard.”  
"That's being nice..."  
***************************************************************************  
19 December 1864  
It was a cold day. There was new fallen snow on the ground. Maggie looked out the window in her room as she brushed her golden hair. She had a caller coming that night. Her mother and the servants had gone to the country club early that morning. Only Ben and me, she thought. Ben did not go because he had to sleep off the drink from the night before. He was a Cochran and mamma didn't wish him to drive in his condition.  
Maggie didn't worry. By the time he wakes up, mamma and the others will be home. They were always home before dark. She looked at her clock on the mantle of the fireplace. 3 o'clock. They shall be home in less than two hours.  
Lisa stood in front of the full length mirror in her room. She gazed at herself. She was small for her age. At 14, she was only 5'0". Her parents were taller. Mamma always said that I would grow, she thought. Perhaps in time. Her soft golden locks feel gently about her face. When she let it down, it was down the middle of her back. She decided to wear it down, tied back with her favorite pink ribbon to match her dress. It was a pink day dress with heavy white lace overlay and a scalloped edge on the bottom. It had a jewel neckline with pink ribbon trim. The lace partlet covered her cleavage.  
She finished fixing herself in the mirror, then went over to the window facing the street. She stood there for awhile, watching for her mother and the others to return and wondered if Ben was awake yet.  
Maggie was terrified of Ben. He was a servant, though he acted as if he was master of the house. Especially since her father and brother died. Ben murdered her brother. He had shot D.R. in a drunken rage. Ben was violent enough when he was sober, worse when he drank, and he drank all the time. He drank whiskey like it was water.  
Maggie always smelled it on his breath. She hoped that he would not visit her tonight. She didn't like the fact that she was alone with him today. It would be easy for him to have his way with me, she thought. Nobody is around to tell him no. Not that he listens anyway. Nobody ever says no to Ben. Pappa was the only one who stood up to Ben. Pappa didn't take any trouble from anyone...  
Ben rolled over and grumbled as he woke from his long sleep, having been left behind from the weekly trip to the country club.  
He was told to stay behind and sleep off the drink. The mistress would not let me going condition, he thought. I am all right now. Better go and check miss Maggie. He stumbled out of bed, and then grabbed another bottle of Jack Daniels from his stash in the coach house. For good measure, he thought. He drank as he shuffled down the long driveway up to the house, dragging his bad leg behind him. He had walked with a limp since the master's last beating. The LAST, yes. Master is gone. Died five years ago. Now I rule the house. Mistress don't have a care for me, and she don't respect me either. I've done good work, and she don't appreciate it . Maggie likes me well enough, though. Ben took another swig from the bottle as he walked up the side stairs and right up to the front door. Something that a servant would never do. Servants and slaves entered through the kitchen or the back door, but not me, he thought. He walked right up those front stairs, through the front door and up to the nursery.  
Ben peered at Maggie, licking his lips. "I've come for you girl."  
Maggie turned. "Bben..what are you doing here?"  
He moved through the doorway over to where she was standing.  
"There ain't nobody to tell me what to do missy. Your mamma and your pappa ain't here to punish me either. He cornered her.  
"You're all prettied up like a China doll. You going somewhere, are ya ? Or are ya gettin' all prettied up for me?" He stroked her hair, grabbing it in his big hand.  
"Ben, stop it."  
He grabbed her breast. "Ladies don't get all prettied up unless they're goin' somewhere, probably a caller."  
She backed away from him. "Yes. Tonight. David McGuinness from down the street."  
Ben scoffed. "That boy? He's a servant like me."  
"He's not like you Ben. He is kind and gentle. You are a brute, a monster."  
Ben fumed. "A monster, am I? I have been nothing but good to you. I treat you with respect. I taught you about the ways of men and women, and now you go on makin' me all hot and bothered with nuthin' to show for it. Well tonight you are gonna' do me girl. You owe me!" He slapped her hard.  
She stammered. "What are you going to do?"  
"I'm gonna' show you what a real man is like, not that sniveling boy." He started to unbutton his trousers.  
She slipped past him and headed for the stairs. He grabbed her and pulled her down. She kicked him in the head, and then ran down the stairs. He chased her downstairs. She got to the front door. It was locked. Ben stood at the top of the stairs, glaring down at her. She looked up at him pleading. He didn't budge. She ran toward the back stairs, but when she got there, he was waiting at the top, leering down at her.  
She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
"No Ben, please don't!"  
He bounded down the stairs, pouncing on her. He threw her over his shoulder. " I will teach you!"  
She kicked and screamed, pounding on his back with her tiny hands.  
He produced a key from his vest pocket. He opened the front door and went out to the large oak in front of the house.  
"Some cold is what you need to cool your temper missy."  
He threw her down hard in the snow at the base of the tree, then began to tear her dress off. She punched and kicked as he did, and he slapped her hard each time. He wrapped his large hands around her tiny throat as he raped her, choking her as he slammed his penis into her tiny body.  
After he was done and he was blue from the cold, and she was beaten and bloody, he quickly dressed himself, then grabbed her torn clothes and her limp body and carried them toward the back of the house and down the hill to the stream by the ice-house . He dropped her as he lost his footing on the snowy hill. He let the body roll down the hill and fall to the bank of the stream. He didn't bother to pick her up again. He threw her torn dress over her.  
He took one last look at his handiwork before he went off to the coach house to finish off another bottle of whiskey.  
Maggie's limp, lifeless body lay there in the snow by the stream, with her torn pretty pink gown, now muddy and wet, draped over her like a blanket. Her glassy eyes staring up into the cold, dark December sky. Her tiny hand curled up next to her red, blood stained face...  
The servants stood around the great oak tree in front of the house. Theresa watched from her bedroom window. Justice must be done,she thought. She held her handkerchief next to her face, weeping softly. My god, Maggie is dead. Ben is responsible for both of my children. He murdered them both. She cried softly as she watched them carry out her orders.  
Larry Harris stood at the foot of the ladder. Ben stood on the top rung, the rope around his neck, hands tied behind him.  
" you know I got to do this. It was a terrible wrong you done, and justice has to be carried out, right as rain. I hate to be the one to do it, my friend,but it's what my lady wants. Ms Theresa wants to make sure that you pay for what you done to miss Maggie. You are guilty, are you not?  
Ben hung his head. He was shaking. "I am."  
"Cant deny it. You were in the coach house, and poor miss Maggie naked by the stream, dead by your hand." Larry sighed. "You ain't ever gonna get to heaven now. God's gonna strike you down to damnation!"  
"I know." Ben sighed. A tear streamed down his cheek.  
Larry shook his head. "Being sorry now, it's too late for you my friend. I hope you enjoy he'll. Your suffering is just beginning " Larry grabbed the ladder. "Any last words?"  
Ben shook his head.  
"Ok then, by the sight of almighty God and by the power given to me by my lady, I hereby sentence you to damnation." He swiftly yanked the ladder out from under Ben. He kicked for a few minutes,then just hung there motionless.  
The servants went back to the house,leaving Ben to hang there.


	8. The question of Ben

8 September 1987  
We returned for yet another adventure at the house. The usual five of us went( Ann, Ruth, Gretchen, Pat and myself) This time Gretchen drove. Her car could hold all of us comfortably. Italian old Oldsmobile with the suicide doors. She parked the car at the top of the hill by the old Oak tree where they hung Ben.  
We all got out of the car and walked up to the house. I could feel Ben's presence as soon as I got out of the car. He was on me like a fly to shit. I tried to see him with my "sight", but it was always fuzzy. Maybe he didn't want me to see him, or maybe I was just unfocused and scared again. I sensed him as a man of color and guessed that he was black.  
We discussed this as we walked up to the house. "I can't quite make him out, but I think Ben is black."  
Ann disagreed. "Unh uh. I think he's white."  
I argued. "No, I see brown skin."  
"Maybe he has a tan?" Ruth offered.  
I chuckled, shaking my head. "He's got long wiry hair that sticks out . He's tall and thin with brown skin. I don't think he's white."  
"Hispanic, maybe?" Pat said.  
"I hadn't thought of that. I thought, servant/slave black/white. We're there Hispanic servants? I guessed so at this point. "Yes, Hispanic. I think he's Portuguese."  
That solved, we moved closer to the front of the house and got that eerie feeling again. No matter how many times we went there, I still couldn't get over the overwhelming power this place projected. Ben was the prime force here. His essence was overpowering. I wondered about him and how he came to be there...  
****************************************************************************  
19 January 1854  
It was a cold day when Theresa received word that their new servant would arrive from Portugal. Her husband Douglas had hired the mature seaman to join their staff.  
Larry entered the parlor. "The new coachman is here missus."  
Theresa looked up from her reading. "Thank you Larry." she Rose from her seat, then walked out of the parlor to the foyer to grab her cloak go outside.  
Doug was already outside, standing in the driveway watching the mail coach as it approached. Theresa walked up to greet him and waited until the coach rolled to a stop in front of them. the driver jumped down and open the door to the carriage. a young hispanic man exited the carriage. he stood about six foot two and was well-built. his skin was a warm brown, his hair black and wiry, seeming to move about his head of its own accord. his eyes were gray and lifeless. he had a dark aura about him. Teresa glanced at him with disdain. she didn't like him instantly. however, he was under the employ of her husband and she would act accordingly.  
Faking a smile, she extended a hand to him. "Welcome to Middletowne. I hope you enjoy working for us. we are happy to have you here."  
The young man grabbed her hand firmly and shook it. "Hello mahm' I am Benjamin Bocca."  
Ben returned her forced smile.  
Considering herself tall at 5'5" and Doug at 5'9" Ben was almost a full head taller. she felt small and insignificant standing next to him.  
Doug greeted him with a warm smile." indeed we are happy to have you here Ben. we  
needed another pair of hands."  
Larry smiled broadly. "yes sir I've been real busy here , right as rain."  
Doug patted him on the shoulder. "yes Larry has had his work cut out for him these last few years. "  
Ben shook Larry's hand "a pleasure sir."  
"You don't call me that . You say that to the master here." He motioned to Doug with a thumb.  
"That's right Larry. you instruct Ben on how things are done here." he turned to Ben. "you can get washed up at the Coach House Larry will show you your quarters. after he shows you around, come up to the manor house for supper."  
"Yes sir." Ben said firmly .  
Larry walked with him down to the long driveway towards the Coach House.  
Theresa stepped over to Doug and whispered to him . "something about him bothers me dear."  
Doug Crossed his arms. "I know he looks menacing, but I got a very good reference from a dear friend in London he said Ben is very obedient and trustworthy. he was just released from the Portuguese Navy. He served for 8 years. he was drafted, you know. I have to respect a man who has served his time for his country. "  
"Well let us hope that he serves us just as well, if not better."  
"he will my dear he will..."

*****************************************************************************************************************  
"Dave, are you ok? I put a hand on David's shoulder.  
He shook his head. "I saw Ben's arrival at the house."  
Ann's eyes went wide. "You were seeing the past?"  
I nodded. "Dave has had several visions so far."  
"It's amazing.." David began. "I can see everything as it happened."  
We walked through the front door, and turned left in through the parlor.  
We walked through the parlor and through the doorway to the dining room, heading toward the short walkway to the kitchen. I stopped, noticing that David's face suddenly looked ashen and stared into space. He was getting another vision, I thought.  
"Is he..." Ruth began, pointing at David.  
"Shhhh..." I put up a hand defensively. "Don't disturb him. I'll stay here. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up."  
"Okay." Ann said softly, "We'll be upstairs."


	9. Chapter 9

16 September 1987

Today I worked the morning shift at work and to my surprise I found David waiting for me outside. He seemed pretty excited to see me. The last day we had at the house was pretty exciting and I imagined that he wanted to go back. Thing had gotten pretty weird that day so I was a little nervous about going back so soon. I had been reading about other haunting and had discovered that ours was pretty active in comparison. I wanted to know the reason before we went back. My readings had reveled what it wasn’t but shed very little light on what it was that had its grip on the spirits within and the house itself. When I saw Dave’s car I hesitated and then took my compact out of my purse and fixed my face which seemed tired and withered for no apparent reason. I took a deep breath to relax my body and walked over to his car. David was sketching pictures and did not notice me.  
“Whoa hey you! How are you,” he said putting his drawing supplied away.  
“What are you doing here?”  
“Oh well I thought that you might want to go pick up the pictures,” he asked in that sweet was he spoke when he wanted something.  
“Yea but I thought that you might call me,” I inquired while standing by the driver’s side door.  
“It’s alright isn’t it,” he asked while stepping out of the car. He reached around to embrace me and gave me a kiss on my cheek. He was really sweet if not a little absent minded sometimes.  
“I guess I missed you. After everything that happened at the house I was feeling like…” I hesitated again while I searched for the words that would described what it was that I was feeling. The truth was, I needed him over the last week. I felt like I couldn’t call to say I need you but I really did. I was really weirder out and needed someone to tell me that it was all going to be alright.  
“Yea I’m sorry that I didn’t call. I was really just busy, dealing with some stuff,” he said looking like he was obligated to say something.  
“It’s ok, I guess I was pretty busy too,” I lied to salvage that I was hurt that he did not call. I walked to the other side of the car and got in. The moment I closed the door David started talking about the house again.  
“I have been asking the Ouija board all sorts of questions about what I have been seeing at the house,” he started on.  
“You haven’t been using the board by yourself have you?”  
“Yea but it’s fine. Anyway, I started sketching all of the ghosts in the house, take a look,” as he gestured to the drawing pad.  
“You shouldn’t be using the board alone,” I said while pulling out my journal out of the backpack.  
“No it’s fine. Nothing will happen to me. It’s just a tool. Beside it’s for ages eight and up,” he said while snickering.  
Not old enough to drink or vote but old enough to summon daemons, I thought to myself. Maybe he was right and I had nothing to worry about. The Ouija board was just a tool. It is meant to converse with the world beyond. From my research if you use it alone it could be a way for spirits to grab hold on this world. Some cases of possession have been contributed to it. I tried to explain this to David but he was having none of it. He was acting a little headstrong, even for him, but I let it go, hoping that nothing would come of it.  
As we drove to the Fotomat to get out pictures, David continued talking about the ghosts as if they were people he actually knew. With the visions he was having, perhaps he did.  
I was really excited to pick up the pictures that we taken while in the house. I really did not know what to expect but was sure that I had enough pictures to layout the floor plan of the house. I had read that there were some people that had taken pictures of ghosts but I was sure that they had used special equipment to do this or just faked them altogether. In my research I had seen pictures of smeared images that were supposed to be ghosts, fairies that were supposedly taken by children in 1917s, and of course the Loch Ness Monster. None of these accounts were particularly convincing to me. The experiences that we were having were real enough not to mention experienced by other people as well. Twenty people in that one night experienced the same things we did in fact.  
As we pulled up to the Fotomat to get our three little envelopes my heart jumped. I could not wait to see what images we may have captured. David was beside himself with anticipation of what we might find. With David looking over my shoulder, bouncing up and down I opened the first envelope and began thumbing through the pictures. Although I did not expect to find anything other than the areas of the house I was disappointed to find no picture of the ghosts. David snatched the pile of pictures from my hand and began to carefully look through each one searching for anything that might be a spirit. I thought he might be a little too eager. After all what were the chances of photographing a ghosts anyway.  
I opened my second and third envelops while David opened his. As I thumbed through, I began to wonder if what we thought we saw was real, of just in our imagination. When I started glancing over the next set of pictures I wasn’t even looking at them. I thought it was silly to think that we would be able to capture anything and when I flipped to the next picture there she was. It was one of the pictures that we had taken in the nursery. The walls had peeling paint and as clear as day there was a woman wearing a hat standing in the room. Her dress was transparent and hard to see but her upper body was clear to us in the photo. The Fotomat employee thought it was a great shot and asked how we did it but when we told him that it was authentic the conversation sank like a stone on the water.  
“We should go back and get more pictures,” David clambered.  
I was experiencing some shock as I continued to examine the pictures as if I was not the person who snapped the shot. Turning it over, I looked for some explanation to the photo but could not find one. I really did not want to go back to the house that day but David seemed insistent on it. I had hoped that it was a passing thing but it seemed to be a growing obsession for David. We had decided to get the gang together at Pat’s house to show everyone what we had. David seemed to be sure of what he was doing although my doubts began to become plentiful as the unexplained events began to pile up.  
After showing Pat and Ruth the pictures that we had taken, we had decided to pick up Anne from her home and head out to the house for another adventure. When we arrived at Anne’s house she was not ready to go. Her mother invited us in to wait for her. As we sat in Anne’s family living room, Pat spun tales of the adventures of the house that we had been visiting.  
“You guys shouldn’t be playing in an abandoned house. It could be dangerous. And this ghost thing, I think you should report it to an expert and see what comes from it,” Anne’s mother suggested.  
“No it’s fine. I really know what to do. I am a parapsychologist after all,” Pat always seemed to have a lie at the ready and this was no exception. First Pat was a parapsychologist and then he had ninja training. He was on a roll with no end in sight.  
As we sat talking to Anne’s mother, Pat seemed to have all sorts of stories just roll off of his tongue. Telling consistent stories seemed to be his expertise if nothing else. Gina, Anne’s mother, listened with great amusement while we waited for Anne. I started becoming more and more uncomfortable with the situation as the lies began to get even more elaborate. Just as Anne had come out of the back room, Gina was ready to challenge.  
“You do know that you have to be a PhD to be a parapsychologist? And as for the ninja training, you don’t seem to me to be particular agile. I think if you had ninja training you would…,” Anne had interrupted her before she could destroy him completely.  
“We should go, Sorry to keep you all waiting,” Anne said.  
“It was fine, we were just watching your mother eviscerate Pat here, it was most entertaining,” David said with a smile ear to ear.  
We crammed into Dave’s car and drove over to the house.

We approached the house. David slowed down to a crawl, looking over at the front driveway.  
"What are you doing?" I asked, as David pulled into the side driveway, which ran along the side of the house.  
"i'm gonna park in the back." He smiled. "I wanna explore back there too."  
Ruth's eyes lit up. "ok. Cool."  
David slowed the car and pulled onto the dirt driveway. It was long and bumpy and full of potholes. Rough, like an old country road that wasn't paved.  
We bounced up and down as David carefully navigated the dirt driveway to the back of the large property. he drove over a small foot bridge, then up toward the coach-house.  
There was another smaller house up on the hill to our left, and the coach-house sat to our right, at the end of the driveway. It loomed overhead, like something out of a horror film.  
I envisioned old chains and parts of farm equipment rusting and dusty from years of not being used, hanging on the barn walls.  
David parked the car and we all filed out.  
Ann shivered as she looked up at the tall, wide building. "This place has a bad vibe, just like the house."  
I rubbed my arms, thinking it was cold all of a sudden, even though it was mid september, an Indian summer. It shouldn't be cold at all. "I feel it too."  
"It's probably Ben. He did spend a lot of time here." David said, matter of fact. "He was the coachman after all."  
********************************************************************************************************************************************  
17*April*1859  
Maggie skipped along the long dirt driveway that led to the coach-house. She was excited at the thought of going to see Ben again. He scared her, but at the same time, she was also fascinated with him. She wanted to know more about the mysterious coachman. She had used the excuse to go see her pony in the stable. Mamma cannot know my real reason for going to the coach-house. She would not approve of me being alone with a grown man. Ben was a drunk and Pappa had to keep him on a short leash, he said. Pappa was always mindful of their new coachman.  
Ben stirred as he heard shuffling below the loft where he was sleeping. He reached for the bottle of Jack Daniels under his bed. He shook the bottle. Damn it. Empty. He looked up and saw the small blonde girl climbing up the ladder to the loft.  
"Hello Benjamin." Maggie greeted him as she came off the ladder, moving toward where he was sitting on the bed.  
"My name, is Ben." He corrected her. "What are you doing here girl?"  
She gazed intently at his half naked body, admiring it. His chestnut brown skin gleaming from the sunlight shining through the slats of the wall behind him.  
"I wished to speak to you alone." Maggie said, staring at his finely toned body.  
He smiled, liking the fact that she was staring at him. It exited him. "is that so?"  
She nodded, moving closer to him. He noticed that she wasn't wearing any pantaloons under her day dress. The sunlight shone on the skirt, showing the outline of her bare legs underneath.  
"Yes." she said softly, standing in front of him sitting on the bed. He looked up at her firm young body. "I have noticed you watching me, and I wished to speak with you about it."  
"Does your mamma know youre here?"  
"She thinks that I am with my pony, which is true."  
Ben smiled slyly. "I can teach you how to ride."  
She shook her head. "I already know how to ride." She shivered.  
"Are you cold?" Ben asked.  
She rubbed her arms. "A little, yes."  
"Come sit with me. I shall warm you." He patted his lap.  
"all right." She sat on his lap, and he wrapped his strong arms around her.  
"Is that better?" He rubbed her back. He was beginning to get an erection.  
"I am still cold."  
"Here, get closer to me." He started to slide her skirt up.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Getting more comfortable. If you wrap you legs around me, and touch skin to skin, it will be warmer."  
Her blue eyes glistened. "Really?"  
"Yes. Pretend that you are riding your horse. Wrap your legs around me."   
"Like a man does, or either side?"  
"That's right. Just like a man." He pulled her skirt up as she straddled him, wrapping her legs around his body. He rubbed her bare legs, then slid them over her body to her back, holding her close to him. "There. Is that better?"  
She nodded. "Yes, I can feel your warmth now, I..." She flinched. "Oh, what is that?"  
He grunted. "That is me. I am getting excited having you sit on me."  
She noted the pained look on his face. "Are you all right?"  
"No. I am in pain." He lied.  
"is there anything I can do to help?"  
Ben grinned. "Perhaps." He slid his left hand between her legs.  
"Oh, you hands are so warm." She flinched again. "Ohh that tickles."  
He fingered her Vagina gently.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Making myself more comfortable." His erection was full. He unbuttoned his breeches, releasing his erect penis.  
She looked down at it between her legs. She stared at it pointing up at her like a beacon. "Oh, is that your..."  
"Penis." Ben said flatly. "All men have one."  
She continued looking at it. "I have seen the horses, but yours is much smaller."  
He chuckled. "It is large enough."  
"Can I touch it?"  
"Of course." he smiled broadly.  
She reached for the firm muscle, her small fingers going over it lightly. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back. He groaned.  
"Does that feel good?"  
"Yes, but it is also painful."  
"What can I do?"  
"I shall make myself feel better." He started to finger her again. She giggled, then gasped as he entered her, grabbing her shoulders firmly. He wiggle inside her, getting comfortable.  
"Ouch! that hurts." She cried.  
He pumped slowly at first, then gained momentum, holding her firmly as he did so. She shuddered, crying, tears rolling down her pale cheeks.  
"Some day soon girl, those will be tears of joy."


End file.
